Rose McClelland Interview - Under Your Skin

Photo Content from Rose McClelland

“Under your skin” is Rose McClelland’s fourth novel. Her previous three novels were romantic fiction published by Crooked Cat. She has made the genre jump from “chick lit” to psychological thriller and is enjoying delving into a darker corner of her mind!

Rose has also written two short plays which were performed in the Black Box theatre in Belfast.

She discusses book reviews on her You Tube channel and writes theatre reviews for her blog.

She loves nothing more than curling up with her cats and a good book. She has two rescue cats – Toots, who is ginger with an inquisitive face and Soots, who is black and hops along on his 3 legs looking ever so cute.

        

  

What was the greatest thing you learned at school?
Take small steps. If you put the work in, you’ll reap the rewards.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?
A woman called Julia Cameron who wrote “The Artists Way”. It’s a 12-week course about unblocking your creativity and allowing the words to flow!

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
It’s a joy to see the final front cover. It makes the whole writing process feel complete in a very tangible way.

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
I hope they will be intrigued and want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next!

In your new book; UNDER YOUR SKIN, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it.
Kyle phones the police and reports his wife Hannah missing. By the second chapter, we know that Hannah is trapped in a basement somewhere but we don’t know who has kept her there or why. The novel is the slow unravelling of the mystery behind Hannah’s disappearance. Will she be found?

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
My fears can get the better of me at times. I have to learn to ignore the negative voice on my shoulder and just put pen to paper. When I ignore that voice and start writing, the voice shuts up!

What part of Julia did you enjoy writing the most?
I enjoyed the scene where she’s getting ready for her date. She is vulnerable, insecure and excited all at the same time. I’m sure that most females can identify with that scenario at some stage of their lives.

TEN FAVORITE READS EVER BY ROSE MCCLELLAND

• Don’t Ask Me Why – Tania Kindersley
• The Suspects – Katharine Johnston
• The Artists Way – Julia Cameron
• Rachel’s Holiday – Marian Keyes
• The Secret – Rhonda Byrne
• Room – Emma Donoghue
• Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
• One Day – David Nicholls
• The Cry – Helen Fitzgerald
• The Secrets She Keeps – Michal Robotham

Best date you've ever had?
I stayed in a 5-star hotel. The room was like a luxury apartment – it was huge! Great big sitting area, large TV, luxury sofas, fireplace. The bathroom had a gigantic bath. It was heaven.

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
I’d go back to my first year of University and do it all over again. I loved student life. It would be nice to go back with an old head on young shoulders though. There are certain things I would do differently now that I now better!

What is the last movie that you saw at the cinema?
I honestly can’t remember – I haven’t been to the cinema for ages due to lockdown!

Which incident in your life totally changed the way you think today?
Getting into recovery and doing a 12-step program to help my mental health.

What was the most frightening moment of your life?
When I arrived home and found my beloved 3-year old cat lying dead on the floor. It was horrific.

Your journey to publication
I studied English and Drama at University and wrote theatre reviews for the student newspaper. After Uni, I attended some creative writing courses. I then completed the “Artists Way” course and began writing my first novel “Bottoms Up”. I submitted that book to agents; three of which asked to read the full novel. They advised me to write something more commercial. I then wrote “The Break Up Test”. I submitted to an agent and she snapped it up straight away. However, we struggled to find a publisher. I carried on writing my next book “How to Look Like You”. Soon after, I found a publisher and both books were released shortly after.

My sister was very supportive – she read every chapter along the way and offered me feedback. Friends have encouraged me to pick myself up and carry on at times of emotional struggle. It’s a long process with many setbacks but when you love something enough, you keep going back to it!

When Kyle’s wife Hannah goes missing, the whole town is out in force to try to find her. One person knows where she is. One person is keeping a secret.

Detective Inspector Simon Peters and Detective Kerry Lawlor have been brought in to investigate the case but Hannah has left no traces and Kyle has no clues.

Local Belfast resident Julia Matthews joins the #FindHannah campaign and becomes friendly with Kyle, sympathising with his tragedy. As Julia becomes more involved in the case than she bargained for, she begins to uncover more secrets than the Police ever could. Julia was only trying to help but has she become drawn into a web of mystery that she can’t escape?

You can purchase Under Your Skin at the following Retailer:

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you ROSE MCCLELLAND for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of Under Your Skin by Rose McClelland.

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